


Make Time

by Sagittae



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 22:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14924432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagittae/pseuds/Sagittae
Summary: They were all running out of time.





	Make Time

**Author's Note:**

> Should I be finishing my other WIPs? Yes. Will I? Maybe. But this idea wouldn't go away until I wrote it. I have a vague idea of where I want this fic to go, but I'm just still working the middle of chapter two so I've got a ways to go. Sorry for any grammar/spelling errors, I suck at proofing my own work.
> 
> Shout out if anyone can guess what this is based off of! Thanks for reading <3

The first thing that Fjord felt when he woke up that day was a stinging feeling in his chest. With a groan, he reached up and lightly massaged the area, trying to rid himself of the tingling sensation. When he finally opened his eyes, he stared on to find heavy canopies with foliage so thick that streams of light were barely able to pierce the leafy barrier. He started to get himself up, grunting when he made it to his feet and stretched his arms out above him slowly. As he did so, he was aware of the sleeping figures of his companions scattered around the small clearing.

Jester and Beau had taken the top of the cart while Molly and Nott occupied the space beneath them. Yasha was leaned up against one of the wheels, arms crossed and eyes closed peacefully. Fjord didn’t think he had ever seen her more at peace, and he gave a small grin at the sight. Despite the fact that the Mighty Nein had been traveling together for nearly a year now, he never took their downtime for granted. Right now, they were taking their time to get through one of the larger forests on their return trip to Zadash. Fortunately, they hadn’t run into anything hostile except for a few dire wolves since they first entered the woods, but they still had one or two people keep watch during the night.

Fjord was about to go stoke the fire, ready to get a modest breakfast started, when he realized that he was missing someone. Looking behind him again, he checked everyone off in his head except for one person.

“Where the hell…?” He muttered to himself – spinning around and scanning the area, only stopping when he spotted a hunched over figure sitting in front of a pile of dying embers from the night before. A rush of relief filled him and he allowed himself to relax, walking over to join the wizard.

Caleb was sitting against a rock with one of his books in his hands. He was staring down at it intensely and Fjord could see the rapid movements of his eyes speed reading whatever it was that was written on the pages. He waited patiently, wondering if Caleb would notice or acknowledge his presence at all. When it became obvious that he would not, Fjord went about his business and threw some fresh wood on top of the smoking remains of their campfire, poking at the embers with a stick.

A few more moments passed with the only noise being the shifting of ashes and the crackling of charred bark. Soon, the silence was too much to bare, and he offhandedly asked, “So… Whatcha reading?”

The question, or him just speaking in general, seemed to surprise Caleb, because the book in his hands flew up as he jolted and his shoulders locked instinctively. Fjord watched quietly as Caleb composed himself and looked towards him.

“Oh – uh, sorry. I did not realize that you were there,” he pushed some of his hair out of his face and nodded apologetically. His shoulders were still hunched up and stiff, but the rigidness was melting away slowly.

Fjord frowned a bit at this.

After traveling together for a bit, Caleb had eventually become less skittish and more open with the group – or at least Fjord had liked to think so. He was still quiet most of the time, but he had gotten used to expressing his opinions and thoughts freely. They all had a rough start in the beginning, but soon they were a close knit group. To see Caleb on edge, to see him closing in on himself again, was a bit concerning.

“You alright?” Fjord looked over at him again, abandoning the fire for a moment.

Caleb took in a deep breath, as if bracing himself for a big reveal, but then he simply nodded. “ _Ja_ , uh – yes. I am fine, just reading. I was up earlier than everyone else and I cannot cook…”

Fjord chuckled and began to dig through their bag of provisions. He pulled some bread out and tore a chunk off before tossing it to his friend. “If you think that whatever Molly and I do is cooking, it’s a sorry excuse for it. Don’t tell him I said that, though; I think he’s real proud of his stew.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Caleb replied with a small smile, and took a bite of bread into his mouth.

The next twenty minutes after that were quiet. Fjord busied himself with breakfast and Caleb went back to his book.

Fjord had taken out one of the pots from Jester’s never-ending bag and reached for some rice grains, but found something strange. When he retrieved the sac, it was nearly empty. Only a quarter of what he had expected to find still remained. Turning to Caleb again, he addressed this, “Hey, uh, Caleb. No one has been getting up in the middle of the night and havin’ a little snack, right?”

He responded promptly, “Not that I know of, no.”

After a while, the amount of books Caleb was collecting became too much for the pockets of his coats to carry. Most of them went to Jester to store, but eventually, she had given the bag to Caleb to hold, saying that half of the things in it belonged to him, ‘technically’. In the end, it worked out pretty well. Jester was never known to be the most organized, and Caleb’s ready memory of their inventory often came in handy.

“Now that I think about it, we’re running out of supplies pretty quick…” Fjord mused. They should have at least had enough food to last them another three weeks, or so. Either way, they would be out of the woods in a couple of days, but the idea of their food mysteriously disappearing didn’t sit well with him.

Caleb’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, “Fjord?”

Fjord glanced back at him and there was something about his expression that sent alarm off in his head. He looked anxious and worried… but most of all, he just seemed _tired_.

“What’s on your mind?”

There was a pause and he could see Caleb thinking, struggling to find the right words. “There’s –.”

Beau’s voice called from behind them. “Aw, shit. Fjord’s cooking again?”

“I’m not complaining. He’s one of the few of us who _can_ ,” Yasha commented. Beau groaned after that and Fjord could hear the shuffling of their other party members just waking up.

He was still staring at Caleb, imploring him to continue, but it was too late. The man had shrunken back into himself, bringing his knees up and resting his book in his lap, completely breaking contact with Fjord. It was only when Nott came over to speak with him, that Caleb lifted his head slightly. The rest of the group started to wander over, taking up spots around the fire. Despite this, Fjord was about to attempt to start up the conversation again, but Jester’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“What are we eating, Fjord?” Jester asked brightly, “Do you need any help?”

Fjord drew his gaze away from Caleb hesitantly, but he managed to give Jester a little grin. “Nah, it’s almost done, anyhow. There’s not much room for variety in the menu, but I hope y’all like beef stew.”

“As long as Molly didn’t make it.”

* * *

 The rest of the day was relatively peaceful, involving them keeping a slow pace as they traveled through the forest. Their upgraded cart now had a cover, so Caleb and Jester usually liked to spend most of their time inside while they traveled. Molly, Yasha, and Beau prefered to walk alongside the cart most of the time. Fjord figured that they just wanted to enjoy the scenery. Nott was either in the cart with Caleb, or sitting up front with him and steering the horses. This time, it was the latter.

Nott handled the reigns with ease now that she had so much experience. In his peripheral vision, he could her swinging her feet back and forth on the bench contently, taking a swig from her endless supply of alcohol occasionally.

The relationship between the group and Nott had been a bit difficult to establish, at first. There was a lot of mistrust and miscommunication during those times, but things had changed over the year. They were an odd group, at best, but they were dealing with their own faults and baggage. Fjord had simply assumed that most of them, if not all of them, saw the value in having people supporting them. Nott had never been one to share much about herself, but she did eventually, and he was grateful. The Mighty Nein was the closest thing to a family that Fjord has had in a long time.

“Fjord?” Nott turned to him.

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

Fjord glanced at her, “What do you mean?”

She didn’t elaborate much, but she didn’t have to, “You’re picking at your tusks again.”

Nott pointed at his hand, which had, indeed, been at his mouth. He immediately shook away the daze, bringing his hands back to his sides. He cleared his throat and felt an embarrassed heat rising up the back of his neck. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he mumbled.

“You’re not going to turn into water, right?” Nott joked, “I don’t have an empty flask to catch you in anymore.”

Fjord shook his head and gave her a playful knock on the head with one of his knuckles, a rueful smirk tugging at his lips. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. It’s been a while since I’ve heard that one.”

“But really, what happened?” Nott’s tone got a bit more serious, and her eyes narrowed. “Caleb was really quiet this morning, too. Did you say something to him?”

The look that she gave him caused him to sigh and rub the back of his neck. Some things never changed, and Nott’s protectiveness over Caleb was one of them.

He answered quietly, “We didn’t share many words, unfortunately.”

She raised a brow at him, suspicious, “‘Unfortunately?’”

Fjord elaborated, his voice still hushed, “He was sayin’ something to me before you all woke up.” He remembered the way that Caleb’s eyes darted away from him – the way his lips pressed together in a thin line, effectively quieting himself.

“What did he say?” Nott asked, staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and worry.

“I dunno,” Fjord shrugged. “He didn’t get the chance to say much… But I’m a bit concerned. He’s been lookin’ a bit worn lately. Maybe if you talked to him you could see what’s gnawing at him?”

Conflicting emotions swarmed over Nott’s face, but she nodded, “I’ll try.” And then she handed the reins over to him before scooting off the bench and sitting down with Jester and Caleb towards the back of the cart.

* * *

 An hour or so later, Nott rejoined him and shook her head sadly.

* * *

 After nearly eight hours of them traveling, they had covered a considerable amount if ground. They were moving along a moderately sized stream, giving them a little peek beyond the roof of leaves. From what Fjord could see, it was just nearing dusk and the little sunlight that they had during the day was fading. Luckily most of them had darkvision, but it would be a good idea to start looking for a place to camp for the night.

“Fjord! Stop the cart for a sec!” Beau shouted from ahead. There was an urgentness to her voice that sent a wave of panic through him. He brought the horses to a halt and hopped to the ground. Jester poked her head out from behind the tarp, probably wondering why they had stopped. Meanwhile, Fjord was surprised to see Caleb already out of the cart and staring warily at what was in front of them.

In the distance, a figure stood next to a cluster of trees. They were still a good sixty feet away, just watching them. Long white hair flowed from behind the dark hood they wore, but it was the glowing eyes that gave Fjord an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. The rest of the group stood their ground and Yasha could be seen already pulling her sword from her back, while Molly illuminated one of his scimitars.

“Stay back,” Caleb told them all, holding his spellbook open cautiously. “We need to find another route out of here.”

Jester shook her head, “Going any other direction will keep us in the forest for days.”

“We will find another way. We cannot stay here,” Caleb insisted, his voice filled with more conviction than Fjord had ever heard from him. What he said next was more of a whisper, “There has to be another way.”

Fjord was about to ask why he was so frightened by whatever the figure was, but a few seconds later, he had his answer.

The person hiding in the shadows walked out of the shade and moved towards them slowly, causing them all to take up more offensive stances. Right before their eyes, the limbs of the person started to stretch and shift. The arms reached up and sideways, bending unnaturally like branches surrounding the main body. What used to be hair seemed to melt away, leaving a strange oozy substance in its place. The rest of the form morphed into something similar to that of a tree absent of leaves, and a bright red eye sat in the center of it.

Then, with incredible speed, the creature rushed up to Beau and Yasha, swinging its loose limbs in an attack. Molly dashed in to help them, while Nott and Jester kept their distance. A pink, translucent lollipop sprung up from the ground and perched itself next to Yasha, while three crossbow bolts struck the monster. A horrible wail erupted from it and caused the air to vibrate, but at least that meant that it wasn’t difficult to hurt it.

Fjord summoned his falchion with a spray of seawater and intended to move to their aid, only he was stopped by a hand gripping his arm. Caleb had pulled him back, looking at him with something in his eyes that he couldn’t quite identify.

“Fjord, please do not stray from the cart,” he said firmly.

“Wha–? I need to be up there,” Fjord told him insistently, pushing towards the fight again.

Caleb stood in his way this time, “ _Nein_ , please. You can use your ranged magic from here. Please, Fjord, trust me.”

He glanced from Caleb to his other friends ahead, the sounds of their shouting and yelling made every cell in his body want to run towards them. Still, he couldn’t ignore the stare that his friend was giving him, especially since Fjord could finally recognize what he was seeing.

There, set deep in the lines of Caleb’s face and the pits of his eyes, was pure desperation and fear.

Fjord growled in frustration, but said, “Alright, go on. I’ll stay, but I’m hoping you’ll tell me what’s going on soon.”

Caleb’s head bounced up and down quickly, “If this fight goes well, I promise, I will tell you everything.”

With that, Fjord watched as he wasted no time to join Jester and Nott a bit further up from the cart and summoned a huge ball of fire in the air. The flaming comet lingered above their enemy before plummeting ten feet down and landing right on top of it. The creature let out a piercing scream and thrashed around violently. The magic had done a lot of damage to it, but it still stood tall, radiating a strange haze.

“Nice one!” Beau called out, then proceeded to unleash a flurry of blows against the monstrosity.

The next few minutes was just filled with them trying to avoid the creatures attacks while throwing out their own. Yasha and Molly had both gone down, only to be brought back up by Jester’s healing words. They all managed to hurt it pretty bad, but by the time that it appeared to be on its last legs, they were nearly spent, too.

Fjord sent out one last blast of eldritch energy before the creature screeched again, but this time, it started to dematerialize right in front of them. They all stood around cautiously, waiting for something to happen, but as their enemy turned to mist, he could see the rest of his friends lowering their weapons. He was about to do the same, but a sharp shout interrupted him from doing so.

“Stay alert! It isn’t dead yet,” Caleb warned from a little ways off. “And _stay_ where you are.”

Part of him knew that Caleb had been specifically talking to _him_ with that last command.

“What the hell is this thing?” Molly asked from where he, Beau, and Yasha stood. The setting light glinted and glimmered off of Molly’s ornate sword when he twirled it around nervously.

“It is a Yochlol. Not only can it change its shape, but its attacks can be poisonous,” Caleb answered, just loud enough for them all to hear. “It’s a fiend. And where one fiend is–.”

“There’s a chance that there’s more,” Fjord finished grimly.

Nott had her crossbow at the ready, but her words shook slightly when she spoke, “But why? We’ve been fine for the past few days. Why attack us now?”

Caleb was barely muttering now, but even then, Fjord could still catch his reply. “Because something in this forest doesn’t want us to leave.”

And just after he said that, Fjord caught something out of the corner of his eye.

A shadowy mist had began to coalesce in the air above Caleb. The particles were moving at a slow pace, as though it were sliding through gel. He was standing far enough from Jester and Nott that they didn’t seem to notice, either. Caleb appeared unaware of the danger, as well. His eyes were closed, and he was whispering an incantation under his breath while the swarm collected itself over him. Then, everything happened at once.

“ _Caleb!”_

Fjord didn’t wait another second to move. He launched himself at his friend, pushing him away from the wave of mist that instead crashed on top of him. There’s someone’s cry of, “No!” But after that, his senses become muffled.

“ _Fjord!”_

He could hear voices through the haze and he tried to reach for them.

“ _You’re going to be okay!”_

He wished that were true, but when he goes to stand, and he couldn’t bring himself to find the strength, Fjord knew he was in trouble. The world around him was nothing but a smokey wall of dust, blocking him in from the rest of the party. It didn’t take long until his head was spinning, and he squeezed his eyes shut, just trying to stay on his hands and knees at the very least. It had rapidly become more difficult to breathe, the thick and toxic cloud was suffocating. The rasping coughs that made their way out of his mouth did nothing to help with the horrible stinging he felt deep in his chest. A hand flew to his throat, clawing at it desperately – and he hated how much it felt like drowning.

Any strength that he had left in him from the fight had already abandoned him. He put up no resistance when the burning in his veins intensified, and Fjord allowed himself to fall.

* * *

 The next time Fjord thought he could feel anything, he isn’t exactly sure if he was all there. He couldn’t see anything, nor could he even attempt to pry his eyes open. None of his limbs wanted to work for some reason, but the chill of his own flesh is what unsettled him. In fact, everything felt cold.

“ _Jester! He needs help!”_

A few moments later, something warm pressed against his chest, but as soon as it hit him, the sensation disappeared.

“ _Why isn’t it working?!”_

_“No, no, no, come on, Fjord!”_

Oh _._

_“Jester…”_

That made sense.

_“No! I can help him! Please, Traveler, help me!”_

He was dead.

“ _He’s gone, Jester,"_ Yasha says softly.

Fjord can hear Jester start to weep and his heart, lifeless as it was, ached. Beau had gone off spouting every curse word she knew and he could imagine her screaming them to the sky. There’s also an angry yell and a metal clattering, and he’s sure that Molly has just thrown his swords on the ground. The others were most likely more reserved in their grief. He didn’t mind, though. Fjord didn’t know how he would react if he was on the other side of things.

Part of him wondered why he was still lingering there at all. Wasn’t there an after life that he was supposed to go to – heaven or hell, and all that shit? Or maybe this _was_ the after life and he was meant to follow the Mighty Nein forever.

While he was contemplating this, Fjord felt a new presence at his side. Trembling hands grabbed onto his breastplate and clenched at it, almost clinging to it. The crying sounded too far away for it to be Jester. Molly, maybe? He was always one who prefered closeness and contact.

It was only when he heard a new ragged sob that he realized who it was.

Caleb.

“ _I am sorry, Fjord. This is my fault,_ ” Fjord heard Caleb whisper. “ _I failed again..._ _I just want to make things right._ _So, please... Take us back. One last time.”_

A clammy palm pressed against his forehead. Then, a strange tingling formed at Fjord’s temples and suddenly it felt as though something was tugging on his soul.

_Potential._

And that was the last thing he remembered.


End file.
